Did Jose Rizal Retract? Essay

Dr. Jose Rizal has been a national iconic battler for all over a hundred years. He has been the symbol of our estates freedom, the image of nationalistic patriotism. He emanates martyrdom with every fiber of his being and everything else that he left the country to strive upon. His story has been narrated in countless books and articles. He became an extension of education where he was the main course in a classroom, an honorable feature of Rizal. His totality as a person, essentially as a Filipino has been studied a hundredfold by researchers and students alike.For years, the Filipino race glorified respect for Jose Rizal because of his sacrifices as a citizen, his beliefs as an caseable propagandist, and all his talents that study been appreciated because of their effectiveness in the process of gaining equalize castigates as a united nation. However, his re sication as an unwavering bayani has been doubted collectable to lingering issues that contradict the very core re ason why we Filipinos conditi angiotensin-converting enzymed to gratify his efforts, his existence in our history. The issue of Jose Rizals so-called abjuration has been around since both Manila and Spanish news papers published songing his retraction right after his execution.In some sources, they adduce that Rizals alleged retraction did not actually happen. These sources say that the friars who visited him within twenty four hours anterior his execution convinced him to confess the sins they accused him of committing. 1The Jesuits, on the former(a) hand, were with him often every minute of the time, six priests going in relays, usually ii at a time, in an attempt to bring about Rizals conversion. 2The main motive, of which, is to make Rizal admit his errors against religion and retract them. If the friars of the future could state with authority that Rizals expressed views on the friars were not what he rightfully sweard, it would cast an element of doubt over everything he had written, making multitude hesitate to believe it. At least seven Jesuits visited Rizal at various times during the course of the day.But Rizal stood his ground and even refused to mark his mite onto the notification given to him declaring the statement of his execution. In spite of his conviction, he finally submitted and branded for his wipeout sentence. 3He was ordered by the judge to score the notification of sentence as required by law. He refused to sign and was resigned to do so.In this issue of Rizals alleged retraction incident, the previously mentioned indicates the belief of Rizal not committing such declaration of withdrawal and confession. While the other stands for the contradicting, that of which claims Rizal of actually signing a statement of his retraction. There are sources indicating that in that location are proofs of Rizal not actually retracting. An example of such is his burial. He was not buried within a Catholic cemetery and was listed as a s uicide (criminal) case, a neglected body along with the heaps of corpse with unknown causes of death.If he did retract and admonished Masonry, then the Church, claiming his retraction and his reconciliation with the religion, would have had the decency of giving him a proper Catholic burial and declare his death under the list of Catholics, to acknowledge the confession the friars claimed they witnessed Rizal committed. The alleged retraction papers also only were revealed about thirty (30) years after Rizals death. A matter of concern was uprooted when two statements of the declaration were recognized, both of which had a great deal of differences. Some claim that one of these was fabricated, and some claim that the original copy aged and rotted in the grasp of the Spanish Catholic friars. 4What they saw was a copy done by one who could imitate Rizals handwriting while the original (almost eaten by termites) was unbroken by some friars.There are also those who strongly believe th at Rizal could not have had any reason to retract, arguing that Rizal was a majestic man who would not stoop so low as to make up those whom he initially was writing against. Such a believer is Gumersindo Garcia, Sr., M.D., stating 5I find it inconceivable that a man of his character with such fealty and patriotism to his country and, moreover, willingness to die for her would break down in a moment and write the alleged retraction for no other reason than to abjure masonry and return to the Roman Catholic Church for fear of the damnation of his soul in case he did not do it. In my humble opinion, Rizal was a sincerely religious man who knew what he believed in and could not be cowed by threat of eternal damnation from anybody. Besides, he could remain a mason and a Catholic at the like time just as many masons in the PhilippinesI myself would expect to believe that Rizal had not retracted. Since it is still a boiling issue for over far too many years now, this just exemplifie s the ambiguity of the reading accumulated regarding this issue. If Rizal did retract, his pedestal as this countrys national hero can stumble and Filipinos can lose touch with the roots of their blood, with the intellection that our hero in actuality may have been a coward a liar, or any adjective that can tarnish his image of idealistic nature. We may not entirely understand Rizals complex personality, but our country can at least look back and appreciate the hardships our forefathers went by so that we, the children of this country can be treated as homosexual beings with justice and equal rights. All we have to do now is to exactly follow in their conviction and to not let their efforts be put to waste.1 An excerpt from The Life and Writings of Dr. Jos Rizal Chapter 16 Did Rizal Retract paragraph 2 2 An excerpt from The Last Hours of Rizal by Coates, as cited by www.geocities.com/rizalretraction paragraph 3 3 An excerpt from The Last Hours of Rizal by Coates, as cited by w ww.geocities.com/rizalretraction paragraph 2 4 An excerpt from www.joserizal.ph The Retraction paragraph 25 5 A statement by Gumersindo Garcia, Sr., M.D., as cited by Maria Stella S Valdez, from the book Dr. Jose Rizal and the Writing of His stratum